


Miss United States

by TheArtificialDane



Series: The Brightest Timeline [53]
Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:00:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24324667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheArtificialDane/pseuds/TheArtificialDane
Summary: Brooke Lynn Hytes won the Miss Gay America crown, this fic follows what comes after
Relationships: Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo
Series: The Brightest Timeline [53]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1400260
Comments: 10
Kudos: 39





	Miss United States

Brooke woke up with a gasp, his heart hammering away. The room was dark, only the slightest gap in the curtains letting in a stream of moonlight. He tried moving, but he was stuck, something or someone holding him down. 

“Fuck-” Brooke felt like he was going to throw up, panic thick in his throat. He reached out, pushing at whatever was on his chest, his hand touching something squishy and warm.

“OW!”

Brooke pulled back like he had been burned, Vanjie’s voice one he would recognise anywhere at any time.

“Bitch what the-” Brooke heard a groan, the weight on his chest moving. “Why you stabbing my nose in the middle of the damn night?”

“I need-” Brooke tried to get up, but their legs were intertwined. “I need-” Brooke couldn’t breath, couldn’t think, but then he felt Vanjie’s hand over his heart.

“Hey.” Vanjie pressed down slightly, the move ever so familiar. “Deep breaths, hot stuff.”

Brooke tried to do as he was told, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth. He slowly returned to his senses, the panic disappearing from his body, and he finally remembered where he was.

“You okay?” Vanjie was leaning over him, what little Brooke could see of his eyes in the moonlight filled with concern. 

“Mmh.” He was in the Miss Gay America hotel, his newly won crown on the bedside table. If he concentrated, he could hear Daniel and Courtney sleeping on the next bed, Courtney curled up in her avocado pyjamas, Daniel snoring away.

“You a shitty ass liar, Brock Hayhoe,” Vanjie tried to whisper, but it was barely below what a normal person would call talking. Vanjie reached out, gently running a hand through his curls, and Brooke realised with cringe that his hair was damp with sweat.

They had celebrated Brooke’s victory all night, the Miss Gay afterparty overflowing with champagne and people who wanted to congratulate him. Steve had gotten a round after a round of drinks for everyone on Brooke’s command, his crew of dancers just as exhilarated with their victory as he was. 

He had stumbled back to the room at 3 a.m., Vanjie helping him out of his heels and his corset before Brooke had fallen into bed, pulling his boyfriend with him, Vanjie yelling to let him go so he could brush his teeth.

“What happened?” 

Brooke looked away, Vanjie’s concern causing a flush of shame to flash through his body.

“Nightmare.” He couldn’t remember the exact dream, just the panic that washed over him. He was pretty sure he had been standing on some sort of a stage, the spotlight blinding him.

“You got one of the stress ones?”

Brooke almost hated how well Vanjie knew him, his boyfriend saying the words like it was completely normal. Like it was okay that something like that happened to him.

“Is it cause you won?”

“No.” Brooke blushed, the sour taste of embarrassment heavy in his mouth. “Yes…” Brooke bit his lip, running a hand up Vanjie’s back, the other man laying down, the weight of him on his body a comfort as it always should be. “Maybe.”

It felt ridiculous that he had worked so hard for something, that he had planned it for years and practiced for months, only to wake up with his heart in his throat, unable to breath, when he had actually gotten what he wanted.

It was so typical of Brock Hayhoe, and even more typical of Brooke Lynn Hytes. 

“You ain’t gotta be scared.” Vanjie kissed his neck, his voice vibrating against Brooke’s skin, the soft touch calming him down. “I know you gonna slay this.”

Brooke smiled. Vanjie had said almost the exact same thing when he had been going out of his mind with worry about the airing of Drag Race Canada. 

Brooke knew he had done well, knew he wasn’t a contestant, but his stomach had felt like it was filled with cement the entire week up to the premiere, worries of how he had been edited, if he came off as embarrassing or cringey, if the audience would like the show all killing him slowly.

“You gonna slay this shit so hard,” Vanjie smiled, and Brooke could feel it, “they ain’t even gonna have no contestant next year, 'cause you too much of a boss ass bitch.”

“We wouldn’t want that,” Brooke chuckled, his fingers playing with the waistband of Vanjie’s shorts. “That’d mean I had done an excruciatingly bad jo-”

“Guys.” Brooke was cut off, a female voice coming from the other bed. “I love you both,” Courtney held up a hand, “but shut the fuck up.”

///

“Babe?” Vanjie called over his shoulder. “You feeling orange or apple?”

It was a little after 10 on a weekday morning, the kitchen still smelling like toast and eggs, Brooke cooking them breakfast after his morning run. Vanjie waited for a second, but there was no reply, so he half closed the fridge door, his eyes falling on Brooke, who was sitting at the kitchen nook. 

“Yo!” Vanjie called out again, but Brooke was caught up in his phone, his entire attention focused on whatever he was typing, his man not reacting at all. It had been that way ever since they returned from Miss Gay America, Brooke constantly texting, calling or emailing with someone. 

Vanjie did his best not to roll his eyes, and if he hadn’t been an adult, he would have tipped something out of the fridge, the crash of a jam jar a guaranteed way to pull Brooke’s attention away. 

Vanjie had no idea how Brooke could overhear him, but it happened more and more, his boyfriend often swallowed up completely by his work, but Vanjie had never been known for being quiet, and he wasn’t about to start now. 

“YO!”

Henry jumped, the cat surprised by his outburst, and Brooke finally looked up, his eyes wide at the noise. 

“What?” Brooke raised an eyebrow, his face morphing into an annoyed expression, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Vanjie was still sore from yesterday, he was sure it could have turned into a fight. 

Instead, he bit his tongue, pushing his irritation down. “You an orange,” Vanjie shook the juice, “or an apple kinda guy?”

Brooke had hung up a shelf for his new crown in the drag room on Vanjie’s instructions, watching his man do physical labour one of Vanjie’s favorite ways to pass the time. Brooke had looked so good drilling the wall, and if Vanjie had gotten drilled himself later, he wasn’t one to complain. 

“Oh…” Brooke paused, a blush spreading on his cheeks, and Vanjie noticed with pleasure how Brooke realised that he had been ignoring him. “Orange, please.” He put his phone down, flipping it over, his full attention focused on Vanjie. 

It was wonderful to have Brooke’s eyes on him, and Vanjie basked in it as he closed the fridge, the invitation to Joanne and Susanne’s wedding flying by his head.

It was hung up right next to the 2021 poster for Werq the World America, Brooke and Vanjie smack dab in the middle of it. The entire crew had done the European leg without them, Brooke and Daniel too busy with Miss Gay preperations, and while Vanjie had been given the opportunity to come along, he hadn’t wanted to without Brooke.

“Here.” Vanjie put the carton down, picking Thackery up with his other hand as he sat down at the table, dumping his cat on his lap. Thackery was a ninja when it came to seat stealing, the cat appearing out of thin air whenever a warm chair became vacant. 

“Thanks.” Brooke poured them both a cup, his ears still slightly pink, and Vanjie smiled, the last of his anger evaporating. 

He extended his foot, sneaking it around Brooke’s ankle, the touch making his man smile. They sat like that for a while, talking about nothing and everything, when Brooke’s phone vibrated.

They both looked at it, the insistent hum of an iPhone loud in the suddenly silent kitchen. 

“You’re not gonna take that?” Vanjie could practically feel how Brooke was itching to pick up, his boyfriend's fingers digging into the edge of the table.

“It can wait.” Brooke focused on Vanjie, his voice firm, even though his eyes were flickering. “If it’s important, they’ll call again.”

It was clear as day that it was physically painful for Brooke to say it, and Vanjie smiled, rolling his eyes.

“Just take it, asshole.”

“Oh thank god,” Brooke groaned, grabbing his phone, leaning over the table to kiss Vanjie as he pressed accept, the taste of oranges on his lip. “Brock Hayhoe speaking.”

Vanjie returned to his eggs, his fingers buried in Thackery’s fur. Brooke was an absolute idiot, but he was his busy, stupid, too focused on himself idiot, and Vanjie wouldn’t have it any other way. 

///

Brooke was making his way backstage at Mickey’s, a bottle of beer and a bottle of water in hand.

He hadn’t planned on making it out to the club that night, but when he had actually finished his emails for the day and looked up from his computer, he realised that he was missing Vanjie so much that it was a dull ache in his chest.

Brooke had never imagined that he could miss someone he was living with, but the past week had proved that being together physically was not the same as being there mentally.

If he was honest, he had no idea how Vanjie found it in himself to put up with him, to continue loving him even when he was at his most focused and unpleasant to be around. 

Brooke had realised with dread that he couldn’t remember the last time he had truly paid attention to Vanjie, when he had gone beyond the minimum effort required of him when it came to his boyfriend duties outside of bed.

He knew how much it mattered to Vanjie, how much he appreciated it when Brooke did even the smallest of things for him, an unexpected call, an unasked for cup of coffee, or even just a kiss he hadn’t seen coming once in a while enough - the effort of it so little compared to how happy it made Vanjie.

Winning Miss Gay America was amazing and an absolute gift, but Brooke had totally forgotten how much work a pageant crown was compared to what winning Drag Race had been like.

At Miss Gay, he was on his own, the pageant not backed by any big production company who had a PR machine locked and loaded like VH1 had. Here, he had to arrange everything himself, from travel to interview to finances, and he had Steve working overtime to make the puzzle pieces of 2021 fit together.

It had been a bit of a nightmare, Drag Race Canada, Werq the World, and DragCon all slotting together by force with the indicusable commitments of Miss Gay America, his private life and Vanjie something he couldn’t just ignore.

Brooke was pretty sure he had succeeded, the plan for the year only making his stomach clench slightly when he knew that the only real vacation he had planned with his boyfriend was his annual trip to South Africa, but it had to be enough, Brooke not sure what else he could do.

Daniel had agreed to tour the preliminaries with Brooke right away, actually forcing him to sit down and discuss pay a lot more painful than he had initially imagined, but they had come to a good arrangement, Brooke paying Daniel a wage he knew he would have loved when he was a dancer himself.

Brooke walked down the stairs to the backstage of Micky’s, the excited chatter of his drag sisters greeting him as he turned the corner. Jan, Jessica Wild, Sonique, and Roxxy were all standing in a circle, Vanjie in the middle, Morgan next to her, all of them looking at something.

“Holy shit-”

“Bitch, I told you!”

Brooke cleared his throat, everyone turning their attention to him. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Brock!” Vanjie lit up like a christmas tree, glee radiating from her and she ran over, throwing herself in Brooke’s arms. She smelled of hairspray and perfume, the scent of powder and sweat swirling in Brooke’s nose.

“Hey baby.” Brooke kissed her wig gently, the blonde strands stiff under his lips. Vanjie was absolutely gorgeous, his boyfriend dressed up in a stunning dark green dress that Brooke recognised from their shopping spree in Copenhagen, Vanjie’s wardrobe still overflowing with things she never got a chance to wear on All Stars.

“Hello, lover boy.” Roxxy smirked, and Brooke got pulled into a hug and a kiss on the cheek, her light pink lipstick leaving behind a mark on his skin. 

“Young man, are you allowed to be back here?” Morgan smiled, and Brooke laughed as he gave her a hug, a stab in his stomach telling him that he should really have came by sooner. 

“What are we watching?” Brooke looked at Jan, who was still holding a phone, the preppy season 12 star waving. 

“Nothing!” Sonique giggled, and Vanjie snapped her fingers.

“Nu uh!” Vanjie pointed at Sonique. “They bullying me.” Vanjie looked up at Brooke, her eyes filled with the mischief of queens throwing shade. “That’s what’s happening!”

“We’re not bullying-”

“You hear that girls?” Jan was cut off by Morgan, her face in her signature catlike grin. “We better be careful or Brookie Ookie might beat us up.”

Brooke laughed and Vanjie flipped Morgan off, when Jessica spoke. “Come on Morgan.” Brooke had always loved Jessicas thick spanish accent, her look for the night beyond flawless as always. “Show your reigning queen some respect.”

“I wasn’t aware the season 13 winner was in the house.” Sonique smiled innocently, and everyone started laughing, Roxxy and Morgan getting in a play fight over the values of the pageant system when they had TV.

Brooke loved visiting Micky’s, everyone there so obviously getting along. Brooke knew he would never forget the debt he ow¢ed to the regulars for how well they handled Vanjie’s knee injury last Christmas, Brooke honestly not sure what he would have done if he had been all by himself or amongst strangers when Vanjie had been in so much pain.

“Hey.” Brooke looked down, Vanjie holding her bottle of water up. “Open.” Brooke took it, easily twisting the cap for his boyfriend who was already wearing nails.

“We was on online.” Vanjie took a sip of her water. “Some Twitter bitch made a compale- compen- compilation.”

“A compilation?” Brooke raised a brow. “Of what?”

“You mean you haven’t seen?” Jan smiled, mischief playing on her face. She grabbed her phone once again, quickly typing something in.

“No! Wait- Jan!” Vanjie tried to stop her, but it was too late, Brooke already looking at a video playing on the screen of Jan’s giant iPhone. 

Brooke recognised the low quality of the official Miss Gay America DVD right away, and while it warmed his heart that someone had actually purchased the monstrosity, he couldn’t help but laugh as he realised what he was actually watching.

Someone had cut together every single time Vanjie had been caught on tape, his voice ringing through the hall loud and clear as he cheered, Vanjie’s whoos picked up with no effort at all by the camera. 

Brooke watched as the video ended with a slow motion shot of the both of them, Vanjie standing at the edge of the stage, tears streaming down his face as he sobbed while Brooke leaned over the edge, crouching down in her full gown, crown pinned to her head, the biggest smile on her face as she kissed him, her giant bouquet of flowers blocking the view of the camera.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to FreyKitten for betaing <3


End file.
